“Hunger”
Alito Delos Santos, T-III
For nearly a decade of being a teacher, I noticed that one of the recurring
problems that our learners encounter is that of hunger. Students coming from
very poor families are the ones who suffer from it on a regular basis.
Consequently, this has made a dent on the capacity of these students to learn.
Many of them are not necessarily dumb but studying for them is constantly
distracted and/or hampered by annoying pricks in their empty stomachs. This
situation has moved several kind-hearted teachers to organize feeding programs
for these children.
Despite the negative outlook we have on hunger, this phenomenon has a
lot to teach us as well. I (though a salaried teacher and capable of providing food
for myself and for my family) have a share of these “hungers” too. From time to
time, I continue to hunger for wholeness, to hunger for meaning, and to hunger
for belonging. And I think it would be difficult for us as teachers to “feed” others if
we ourselves do not know what being hungry is all about. Feeding and/or eating
only make sense when we are hungry. A person who is already full would not
crave for food.
Thus, although hunger oftentimes carries a negative meaning since it
could also be a sign of existing injustice, oppression, etc.—the hunger felt by
people in Third World countries—it also signifies a kind of openness, a
willingness to receive help from others. It will be significant if sometimes we allow
our students to “feed” us and place ourselves at the receiving end of their
generosity. If we could do this, we would not only teach them how to “feed”
others but also how to empower themselves. By simply situating ourselves at the
receiving end, we are actually sending a concrete message to our learners that
they have some things to give—talents, skills, time, giftedness, etc.—things that
they might not, initially, recognize as their own.
By the way, I think being hungry or thirsty for something or “longing” is also
part of our humanity. There are times when everything seems to be fine in our life
but then suddenly we discover a kind of emptiness deep within. My Spiritual
Director before called this kind of hunger “existential longing”—a longing for God.
As teachers, we therefore have to recognize the presence of hunger within us.
Until we acknowledge our own hunger, we cannot “feed” ourselves with God. If
we fail to see our own hunger, we cannot see the hunger of the people around us
either. How then can we feed them?